DD hot sausage out of Bogalusa is a crucial ingredient in our gumbo

Over the last few decades I’ve eaten hundreds of bowls of gumbo from the best kitchens across Acadiana.

During this time I’ve learned that the Holy Trinity is not sacrosanct in the 22 parishes that comprise Cajun country.

I’ve found home cooks and professional chefs using all sorts of chile peppers in their trinity (onions, celery and peppers-thought to always be Bell)

Jalapenos, Cubans, Anaheim, and even Hatch chiles are commonly used in Louisiana kitchens when it’s gumbo-making time.

Next week in Austin our cooking team will produce a gumbo pop up restaurant at Tamale House East, and gasp, we will used Poblano chiles in our trinity.

There will be plenty people with tangential ties to Louisiana that will find this to be wholly unacceptable.

Bell peppers are sweet peppers in the same genus and species (Capsicum annuum) as the Poblano chile, and while we love them when we go to the market in Austin to buy groceries for our project we will choose Poblano.

We shifted to Poblano long ago and never gave it a second thought. Just like dozens of cooks across the state of Louisiana have done since the dawn of time.